Elements of Electronics

The focus of this course is experimental and applicative.

Specific educational objectives of this course are:

• Understand the electrical, magnetic and optical phenomena underlying the operation of sensors in an experimental, practical and operational way.

• Be able to create electric circuits and electrical, magnetic and optical devices and to carry out measurements of physical properties and technical characteristics.

• Acquire basic knowledge of the operating principles of the equipment, general methods, and mental attitudes useful for investigating electromagnetic and optical phenomena, also different from those already proposed in the course.

• Acquire basic knowledge and skills useful for designing new devices in the same field.

• Acquire basic knowledge and skills useful for programming simple data acquisition systems.

• Acquire the ability to analyse experimental data correctly and to produce a scientific report that describes the experiment performed, reports its results produced through this analysis and knows how to interpret them.

• Acquire the ability to communicate the results of an experiment and/or a scientific measurement correctly, exhaustively, clearly and effectively.

Furthermore, concerning the so-called Dublin Descriptors, this course contributes to the acquisition of the following soft skills:

Knowledge and understanding:

• Inductive and deductive reasoning skills.

• Ability to schematise a natural phenomenon in terms of scalar and vector physical quantities.

• Ability to set up a problem using suitable relationships between physical quantities (of an algebraic, integral or differential type) and to solve it with analytical or numerical methods.

• Ability to set up and set up simple experimental configurations and to use scientific instrumentation for thermomechanical and electromagnetic measurements.

• Ability to perform statistical analysis of data.

Ability to apply knowledge:

• Ability to rigorously apply the acquired knowledge to the description of physical phenomena using the scientific method.

• Ability to design simple experiments and analyse the experimental data obtained in all areas of interest in physics, including those with technological implications.

Making judgments:

• Critical reasoning skills.

• Ability to identify the most appropriate methods to critically analyse, interpret and process experimental data.

• Ability to identify predictions of a theory or model.

• Ability to evaluate the measurements' accuracy, the instrumental responses' linearity, and the sensitivity and selectivity of the techniques used.

Communication skills:

• Ability to present a scientific topic orally, with the correct language and terminological rigour, illustrating its motivations and results.

• Ability to describe a scientific topic in written form, with proper language and terminological rigour, illustrating its motivations and results.

• Teaching methods

The first cycle of lectures in the classroom will demonstrate the physical principles underlying the operation of different types of sensors, simple data acquisition systems and data analysis strategies.

The final part of the course includes cycles of practical exercises and the construction of selected measurement systems, the characterisation of the sensors used through the acquisition of measurement sets and data analysis.

During the cycles of practical exercises in the Laboratory, the students practically carry out the experiments and carry out the measurements previously introduced in the classroom.

5 credits (corresponding to 7 hours each) are dedicated to classroom lessons, for a total of 35 hours, and 1 credits (corresponding to 7 hours) are dedicated to laboratory exercises, for a total of 42 hours.

The course, of 6 credits, therefore includes a total of 42 hours of teaching activities.

During the classroom lessons, there are NO exercises in the Laboratory. During the periods of practice in the Laboratory, there are NO lessons in the classroom.

Suppose the teaching is given in mixed or distance learning mode. In that case, the necessary changes may be introduced concerning what was previously stated to respect the program envisaged and reported in the syllabus.

Learning verification can also be carried out electronically, should the conditions require it.

The first cycle of lectures in the classroom will demonstrate the physical principles underlying the operation of different types of sensors, simple data acquisition systems and data analysis strategies.

The final part of the course goes into detail concerning the construction of selected measurement systems, the characterization of the sensors used to acquire measurement sets and data analysis.

The course, of 6 credits, therefore includes a total of 42 hours of teaching activities.

Suppose the teaching is given in mixed or distance learning mode. In that case, the necessary changes may be introduced with respect to what was previously stated, in order to respect the program envisaged and reported in the syllabus.

Learning verification can also be carried out electronically, regardless of the conditions.

Having a basic knowledge of error theory and data analysis methods is essential.

Basic knowledge is essential: mathematical analysis, electromagnetism and optics.

It is helpful, and therefore strongly recommended, to have passed the exams of all General Physics courses.

Attendance at both classroom lessons and laboratory sessions is ordinarily compulsory.

Attendance signatures are collected during lessons.

Classroom lessons are usually held 2 times a week, 2 hours each lesson.

Prof. Lo Presti receives Mondays from 10 to 11 and Thursdays from 10 to 11; however, it is advisable to contact the teacher in advance to verify that institutional or personal commitments do not force him to move the office hours to a specific day.

During the first cycle of lessons, different types of sensors will be introduced, explaining the physical principle underlying their operation and the methods of use of the sensors in a measurement. The concepts underlying the reading electronics of a sensor, the digitization of signals and their subsequent storage and processing will be introduced.

In the second cycle, the student will be guided in using a measurement system composed of a sensor, an acquisition system and examples of data analysis to characterize the sensor used.

The teacher does not follow any particular text, but uses material from various texts. The slides of the lessons are usually sufficient to pass the exam.

The laboratory experiences will be accompanied by exhaustive instruction sheets also available on the course website: Sheets.

For in-depth studies the student wishes to engage in, the following is a selection of texts that can be consulted as they describe the data analysis methods, some of the electrical and optical instruments used in the course, and the relative measurement procedures.

1) Handbook of modern sensors: physics, designs and applications - Jacob Fraden, Springer edition

2) Robot sensors and transducers - S. R. Ruocco - HALSTED PRESS, John Wiley & Sons, New York - Toronto and OPEN UNIVERSITY PRESS, Milton Keynes

The exam includes an oral test covering all the course topics.

To pass the oral exam, the student must demonstrate knowledge of all the topics discussed and explain them clearly to anyone with the necessary preliminary knowledge who does not know the specific case. The vote is proportional to the degree to which these two requirements are satisfied.

The typical duration of the oral exam ranges from 30 to 60 minutes, with an average of 40 minutes.

The final grade takes into account the evaluation of the oral exam.

The choice of topics is made exclusively by the teacher with random criteria at the time of assignment.

Some topics, by way of example, typically the subject of questions during the oral exam, are the following:

- Describe the operating principle of a pressure transducer;

- List the criteria for choosing the interface electronics of a temperature sensor;

- Describe the main properties of a light sensor.

- Explain the concept of sampling and the criteria for the choice of the optimal parameters od Analog to dogotal conversion.